Confectionery-machine.



No. 780,675. y PATENTED JAN. 24,1905.

` H. LERGHB. v

GONFEGTIONBRY MAGHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED JUNB'15,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented January 24.-, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.,

HUGO LEROHE, OF RAAB, AUSTRIA-HUNGrARY- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0.,780,675, dated January 24, 1905.

i Application filed Tune 15,1904. Serial No. 212,630.

To a/ZZ whom/ 722i Duty concern: l

Be it known that 1,' HUGO LERoHE, a subject of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, and a resident of Raab, in the Empire of Austria-Hungary, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Con- .fectionery-liiachines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for the manufacture of confectionery, 1n whlch machine the regular angular displacement of a hand-lever is utilized to produce-an irregular or unequal but adjustable reciprocating or up-and-down motion of a compressing-plate, while, furthermore, means are also provided to permit of an accelerated motion of such a plate; and the objects of my improvements are to impart to the said compressing plate a longer downstroke than an upstroke independent of the operator, and

thereby cause the desired quantity of prepared confectionery mixture or material to be ejected and the remainder to beretained'o'r kept back by suction.

The nature and characteristic features of my invention will be more fully understood from the followingdescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partiy in section, embodying'main features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view illustrating in front elevation` the upper portion ofthe machine. Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof, and Fig. 4; is a detail view illustrating in side elevation means for raising and lowering a movable top on the table of the machine.

Referring to the drawings, a is a table or stand having a movable top b supported on a number of eccentrics c or their equivalents and fixed on shafts 1, journaled in the stand a. The raising or lowering of the top is effected by means of said eccentrics and of a lever d, fixed to one of the shafts 1, as shown in Fig. 3. The several shafts l may advantageously be geared together`e. g. by means of a chainwheel Q and a chain 3, as shown in Fig. l. In order to limit the rotary or angular movement of the shafts 1 when a number of successive identical up-and-down motions of the comvided, the locking of the lever permitting of the securing of the movable table-top in any required position.

The frame of the table or stand a carries a box t over the movable top b, suficient space being provided between thev table, raised in its uppermost position, and the movable top for the ejecting tubes or nozzles 6, which deliver the material onto the table-top. The box is intended to receive the prepared confectionery material and is furnished with a removable bottom carrying the said nozzles, so that other and differently-shaped. nozzles can lbe readily inserted.

The box t is open at the top and receives a tight-fitting compressing-plate s, preferably provided at its edges with packing material and having air-holes 7 adapted to permit the air contained in the box to escape when the plate s enters the same. The air-holes 7 can b e closed by pegs or taps or in any other con-v venient manner. The compressing-plate is detachably secured to a preferably left-hand screw-spindle it, having a range of vertical movement in a nut a, carried by a bearing g,

arranged at the end of an arm f, extending from a standard e. This standard e also serves to support the driving ydevice for the screwspindle actuating the compressing-plate,and

is fixed to the table or stand a. The screwspindle /t serves to raise'and lower the compressing-plate s in the box and for this purpose is provided with a suitable driving-gear, which in the present instance consists'of two ratchet-wheels c and c', the ratchet-wheel 7c being secured to the upper and the ratchetwheel 1,' to the lower end of the nut a, actuating the screw-spindle 7L. As shown in the drawings, the teeth4 of the ratchet-wheels c and z' are so arranged that the ratchet-wheel 7^, can only be actuated from left to right in Fig. 2, whereas the ratchet-wheel c' can only be actuated in a direction from right to left in said figure. The ratchet-wheel 7e also serves as a bevel-gear and for the purpose is provided at its upper face with teeth.

Two rings 1 and 8, abutting against the ratchet-wheels -cand t' and connected by a IOO bridge m, are loosely mounted on the bearing l upon the mass by turning the hand-wheel 12.

g, as shown in Fig. 1. The bridge-piece m is provided with two pawls 0 and p, engaging, respectively, the ratchet-wheels and 71:. To the bridge-piece m is pivotally secured a lever a, resting upon alarge ring miixed to the standard e. As shown in Fig. 2, the ring has an enlarged portion which extends not more than half the circumference and gradually joins the narrow part thereof. The pawls 0 and p are arranged on the lever a in such a manner that when the same is on the narrow part of the ring the pawl 0 is in engagement with the ratchet-wheel c', while the other pawl, p, is brought into engagement with its ratchet 7i: when the lever is on the enlarged part of the ring. A simultaneous engagement of the pawl 0 with the ratchet e can be prevented either by making the enlarged portion of the ring suitably high or, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, by means of a plate 9 covering a section of the ratchet-wheel el corresponding to the enlarged portion of the ring, thereby throwing out of action this section of the ratchet e'. The horizontal displacement of the hand-lever a is regulated by means of adjustable stops 10, secured on the ring 7, which latter may be provided with a graduation (shown in Figs. 2 and 3) to facilitate proper adjustment of the stops 10.

The ratchet-wheel k, which is formed externally as a bevel-wheel y, receives motion from a similar wheel m, slidable and keyed on a shaft 11, arranged at a right angle to the screw spindle 7i. A pin or other suitable means may serve for fixing the bevel-wheel on the shaft 11 for purpose of the engagement or disengagement of both bevel-wheels. The shaft 11 turns in bearings e, provided on the standard e, a hand-wheel 12 being1 lixed on its outer end, while its inner end carries a bearing w for the screw-spindle It. A keyway is provided in this bearing to receive a key which engages a longitudinal slot in the screw-spindle, the key and the slot preventing the screwspindle from turning while the nut u in the bearing g is actuated.

The mode of action of this machine is as follows: In order to lift the compressing-plate s quickly out of the box t, the bevel-wheel a' is brought into engagement with the bevel-wheel y, whereupon the hand-wheel 12 is turned to rotate the shaft 11 and bevel-gears w and y. The nut 1t being rotated in its bearing g raises the screw-spindle t, which in turn raises the compression-plate over the box sufficiently to allow the disengagement of the same from the spindle /i to permit the free introduction of the mass into the box Before doing that the ends of the nozzles 6 are closed by a board placed on the table b or by the table itself, as shown in Fig. 1, which is pressed toward the nozzles by means of the lever CZ. The box is then filled with the mass, the plate s again attached to the screw spindle li, and lowered During that time the apertures in the plate ,v a're left open, so as to permit the air contained in the box to escape. These apertures are closed by pegs (not shown) at the moment when the plate s touches the mass in the box, whereupon the same is raised a little over the mass, thereby creating a vacuum between the mass and the plate. This vacuum prevents the ruiming out of the mass through the nozzles 6 and discharging after lowering the table onto a closing-board, should such be used. The board is then replaced b y a sheetmetal plate (not shown) serving for the reception of the confectionery. Adjustable stops 13 serve to hold such a plate in proper position on the table b. Thereupon the table b is raised by means of the lever (l and lixed in the raised position, and the bevel-wheels a and y are disengaged. Itis to be assumed that the lever In rests on the enlarged portion of the ring a' near one of the adjustable stops 10, which stops 1() may be adjusted in such manner as that the ratio of distance from theright-hand stop 10 to the oblique face of the ring and the distance from the oblique face to the left-hand stop 1() equals two to three. The operation of the lever n, resting at this time upon the enlarged portion of the ring r, does not incur any movement of the screw-spindle as the pawl c cannot engage with the ratchet i .on account of the sheet-metal piece covering this ratchet. Furthermore, the pawl p engaging the ratchet-wheel 1 cannot enforce its turning movement, this ratchet-wheel being out of work at a left-.hand movement of the lever n. If this lever is shifted on the narrower part of the ring fr, then the pawl o by clearing the disk 9 engages with the ratchet-wheel f. This engagement results in a lowering of thescrewspindle li, as the latter is provided with a lefthand thread. With the spindle /1/ the compressing-plate s descends into the box. forcing a part of the confectionery eontai ned there in through the nozzles 6 on the sheet-metal plate until the movement of the lever /1 is terminated by the lefthand stop 10. The size and shape 'of parts of confectionery pressed out of the box may of course dilier according to the extent of the stroke of the lever a and to the shape of the nozzles inserted into the bottom ofthe box. If the pitch ol the screw-spindle /e/ be suitably chosen and the left-hand stop 10 adjusted in such a way that the stroke of the lever n results in lowering the com pressing-plate s for a certain distancee. g., twelve millimeterswthen the back movement of the lever a does not entail instantly a movement to the screw-spindle L, as the ratchet-wheel 7i is not operated i f the lever 2| is turned to the right and the pawl 7) does not engage the ratchet-wheel at the time the lever a is on the narrower part of the ring fr, The lever a by ascending the enlarged portion of the ring r will bring the pawl p into enf IOS strikes the right-hand stop l0 in Figs. Q'and J o. The compressing-plate s is hereby raised by eight millimeters, the' ratio of the distance on the enlarged portion and of the distance on the narrow portion of the ring being two to three and the compressing-plate having been sunk before by twelve millimeters. The raising of the compressing-plate s results in creating a partial vacuum in the box, thi-s vacuum preventing the out-running of the confectionery. If the lever n be moved backward, then the lever Z is switched in the opposite direction, thereby lowering the table for the purpose of preventing the sucking up and depending of confectionery material. It is evident that by means of regular strokes of the lever a in both directions between the stops l0 the compressing-plate s will be loweredinto the box through a larger distance and then raised from this box, with the result of strokes of the com pressing-plate of unequal height.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine of the character described, a material-box, a compression-plate 'adapted to be brought into and out of engagement with the material in said box, a screw-spindle connccted with said compression-plate, lmeansengaging said spindle adapted to prevent rotation thereof, means supporting said spindle -and holding the same in operative position,

said supporting means having'gear-teeth and ratchet teeth, forming a gear wheell and ratchet-wheels, a gear-wheel and pawls adapted to engage said gear-teeth and ratchet-teeth' and means adapted to actuate said gear-Wheel and pawls independent ofV each other to rotate said supporting means and to impart to said spindle and said compression-plate varying and defined movements with respect to said material-box. j A

2. In a machine of the character described, a material-box having outlets, a compressionplate adapted to be brought into and out of engagement with the material in said box, a screw-spindle connected with said compression-plate, means engaging said spindle adapted to prevent rotation thereof, means supporting said spindle having gear-teeth and ratchetteeth forming a gear-wheel and ratchet-wheel,

a gear-Wheel andpawls adapted to be brought. alternately into engagement with said gearteeth and ratchet-teeth to rotate said supporting means and to impart to said spindle and said compression-plate varying and defined movements with respect to said material-box, a hand-lever adapted to actuate said pawls, a movable top adapted to be brought into engagement with the outlets of said box, means adapted to raise and lower said top and means connected with said raising means adapted to control the extent of raising of said top.

3. In a machine of the character described, a compression-plate, a screw-spindle attached thereto, a nut adapted to actuate said screw-A spindle, means adapted to prevent turning of said screw-spindle in said nut, ratchet-wheels arranged at either end of said nut and adapted to rotate the same in opposite directions, a hand-lever, pawls pivotally `connected therewith, a ring adapted to support said hand-lever and to hold said pawls in and out of engagement with said ratchet-wheels and adjustable stops arranged on said ring adapted to limit the stroke of said hand-lever, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In aJmachine of the character described, a compression-plate, a screw-spindle attached thereto, a nut for actuating said screw-spindle, a ratchet-wheel at each end of the said nut, a hand-lever, pawls connected therewith, said hand-lever arranged to bring one of said pawls alternately into engagement with said ratchet-wheels, a ring supporting said handlever, adjustable stops secured to said ring to limit the strokes of said hand-lever, in a horizontal plane, in combination with means for rotating said nut independent of said handlever and pawls, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature, this 21st day of May, 1904, n in the presence of two witnesses.

' HUGO LERGHE. Witnesses:

FRANZ REITER, ALvns'ro S. HOGUE. 

